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Committee member urges floor on revenue limits to blunt enrollment-driven budget losses
Summary
A legislative committee member said declining resident enrollment has cut the district’s revenue by roughly $3.1–$3.2 million over several years and urged pursuing a state ‘floor’ on revenue limits and committee-level outreach to local legislators to address the formula.
Speaker 1 (Committee member) told the legislative committee that declining resident enrollment and current state funding rules are creating a structural budget problem for the district and that a simple change — setting a floor on revenue limits — could substantially reduce planned cuts.
"If we left it flat ... we would be at 36,500,000 as opposed to 33,200,000, which is, you know, $3,250,000 difference," Speaker 1 said, presenting a five-year comparison prepared for the committee. They said the district already cut $2,000,000 last year and is projecting another $1,500,000 in reductions this year.
Why it matters: Speaker 1 said Wisconsin’s revenue-limit system ties a district’s funding to resident student counts, so districts that lose students see their revenue fall even when the state approves per-pupil increases. That dynamic, the committee heard, has pushed many districts back to referendums and forced local levy increases.
Details and evidence: Speaker 1 described a district loss of about 300 resident students over the last four to five years and estimated that decline translates to roughly $3.1–$3.2 million in foregone revenue. They said the state’s recent actions — including bills that adjust school-aid formulas — leave many districts "having a big bump up in taxes this year" because state aid did not increase to offset enrollment declines.
Next steps: Committee members agreed to pursue targeted outreach to local legislators. Speaker 1 volunteered to draft a committee letter and invitation to discuss the funding formula with local legislative leaders (transcript references: representative August and others) and to request technical analysis from DPI leadership to quantify the difference a revenue-floor would make.
The committee concluded by agreeing to small-group follow-ups and a possible luncheon with legislators to explain the district’s proposal and supporting analysis.
